Baseball | Jeff Moorad intends to buy Padres

PHOENIX — Jeff Moorad has resigned as Arizona Diamondbacks chief executive officer and says he has reached an agreement in principle to purchase the San Diego Padres.

Moorad said Friday he heads a "small but significant" group of investors that has an exclusive right to complete the specifics of negotiations with Padres owner John Moores. Moorad said he hopes the transaction can be completed in the next three months.

Moorad said he has a long friendship with Moores and his wife, Becky, whose divorce precipitated the Padres' potential sale. Discussions on the potential purchase became extensive after Moores hired Goldman Sachs to oversee the sale of the team in late November, Moorad said.

The Moores reportedly own 90 percent of the Padres. Community-property laws in California give Becky Moores a 50 percent share of that asset and she must agree to any sale.

John Moores confirmed in an e-mail to The Associated Press that Moorad had exclusive negotiating rights to buy the Padres. Moorad said he would be the majority owner if the deal goes through. He would have to sell his share of ownership in the Diamondbacks if the Padres deal is finalized.

Notes

• First baseman Tony Clark is returning to the Arizona Diamondbacks, agreeing to an $800,000, one-year contract. Clark, 36, is a .263 career hitter with 247 home runs, 55 for Arizona.

• Right-hander Scott Proctor, 32, previously with the Los Angeles Dodgers, reportedly agreed to a $750,000, one-year contract with the Florida Marlins.

• Catcher Josh Bard, 30, agreed to a nonguaranteed, one-year contract with Boston.

Bard played seven games for the Red Sox in 2006, when he struggled to catch Tim Wakefield's knuckleball and was traded to San Diego. He batted .202 for the Padres last season and has a career batting average of .265.

• The Dodgers have agreed to trade or release outfielder Andruw Jones, 31, in exchange for his deferring much of the $22 million remaining on his contract, a source told the Los Angeles Times.

The deal is expected to shave $12 million from the Dodgers' payroll and cut Jones' salary next season to about $5 million.